I love you, flea-bag
by perfectpadfoot
Summary: Not your typical Sirius/OC... When fifteen year old potterhead Emma Swindles is brutally attacked, her saviours just happen to be her favourite fictional boys: The infamous Marauders. With her extensive knowledge of the magical world and help from some of the greatest witches and wizards alive, can she change the future for the better? i suck at summaries, siriusly.
1. Chapter 1

**Contains a brief scene that some readers may find disturbing.**

_ALL HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS BELONG TO J K ROWLING!_

I grimaced and felt my face contort into a mask of disgust as the vile tasting liquid flooded into my mouth. Tip of the day: antidepressants do NOT taste nice.

Grabbing my spoon I plunged it into the bowl of muesli in front of me and took a huge mouthful, desperate to get the watered-down-toothpaste taste off of my tongue.

A few spoonfuls later and I was grabbing my school bag and bolting out of the house at top speed, dirty blonde hair a mess of bed-head waves and face scarce of makeup; Today was the last day of term and, naturally, I was late.

In a burst of insomnia, all last night I had been up late, reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the millionth time and asking the empty space around me why oh why Sirius Black, man of my dreams, had to be fictional; this led to tumblr and, inevitably, tears.

I sighed and continued to jog down the irregular concrete until I came to a stop before a large, imposing and dreadfully dull building: Peeton high school. The exterior consisted of industrial, ill looking grey paint and sinister prison windows, the only splash of colour being the faded orange school emblem displayed above the reception doors- the distinctively ugly shade of the majority of the schools interior.

I practically sprinted to the reception office, giving breathless excuses and getting my mark then taking the stairs two at a time to my first period- english.

I needn't of ran I found however when I reached the door: our ancient, shakespeare loving teacher Mr Heener was no where to be seen.  
Opening the door as quietly as I could, I picked my way to my seat at the corner of the room, hopeful for some undisturbed reading.

Unfortunately, no such luck.

I was never really picked on or bullied at school anymore, partly because I did my best chameleon impression and became invisible to potential threats, and partly because I botched up one of my old bullies' nose job in my first year.

The new (and instantly popular) guy however, mustn't have got the memo.  
He yelled something unintelligible when I first walked in, (which I ignored) and was now blatantly blocking my path to the sacred corner which I usually inhabit.

'Excuse me,' I said crisply, 'would you mind moving please?'

'Nah, you see, I'm pretty comfortable here sweetheart.' He spoke with an air of overly-inflated ego and obvious confidence, but with a hint of something sinister in his voice that I couldn't quite detect.

'Just move.' I was losing patience now and my usual courtesy, but he only moved a fraction of an inch and nodded at the gap between him and the off-white wall with a smirk.

Sighing, I slid past him carefully and felt a burst of brief victory- before realising what he had sneakily taken from my bag as I had passed.  
I wouldn't have cared if it was anything else: not my elaborately decorated house key nor the pack of tampax for emergencies, but when I saw my paperback Harry Potter in his hands, my primal bookworm instincts kicked in and I felt a kind of fierce fire erupt inside me. Wheeling around I reached for my book, but he held it behind his back, just out of my reach. An almost feral sounding growl rose from the back of my throat and he laughed mockingly.

'Down girl!' He said as if commanding an angry dog, 'what's wrong? Do you want your crappy book back?'

That did it. People should know never to insult Harry Potter in front of a potterhead, unless they're open to the idea of pain. Bringing up my knee with as much force as I could muster, I hit him hard in the groin, then grabbed a fistful of bleached blonde hair and pulled his face level with mine.

'Give. Me. The. Book.' I growled and he immediately obliged, then fell to the floor in a groaning ball.

'Emma Swindles, my office immediately!'

Oh crap.

I had never, ever, in my whole entire academic career been sent to the headmasters office. It was quite a pleasant room I found (at least compared to the rest of the school), with powder blue walls lined with framed certificates and the only relatively decent carpeting in the entire building; obviously our dear head's comfort is the top priority.

After ten minutes of being yelled at, I had tuned out, nodding solemnly now and again to keep up appearances, but mostly concentrating on picking the peeling paint from my chair leg.

'-suspend you but as its the last day of term there's no point really is there? No, you'll just have to serve your punishment a different way. I'd like you to go rid the desks in the history block of chewing gum please.'

Ugh. Chewing gum duty. I held in a sigh and rose from my chair and nodded curtly at the balding headmaster, slowly beginning the journey to my impending (and sticky) doom.

Trawling through the corridors I resumed the silent argument with myself occurring in my head. I shouldn't have done that, it was wrong and now there was no doubt going to be some kind of face-off later between the 'it' crowd and myself i thought, but a tiny reckless part of my brain reminded me of how great it felt, that the stupid muggle deserved it and that, quite frankly, I didn't care. The internal disagreement continued long after I reached the History classrooms and began the tedious act of scraping gum from the underbellies of tables with a broken ruler and even longer than that, before I finally gave up to the tiny devil on my shoulder.

The bastard deserved it, simple.

Wiping sweat from my brow I scooted from under my current table and walked to the window, intent on letting some air into the stuffy, humid room, but something made me stop in my tracks.

Sniffing the ground out side the school gates was a large, black, shaggy dog. A dog that perfectly fitted the description of my Padfoot. But as soon as I had seen it, it was gone, trotting down the pavement and out of sight of the grimy window in which I resided.  
Shaking my head, I threw the window open and got back to work; the heat must have made me delusional.

KeepyourheaddownKeepyourheaddownKeepyourheaddownKeepyourheaddown... I chanted repetitivly under my breath as I hurried across the concrete and out of the School gates.

The popular crowd hadn't found me yet, and I was determined that they never would.

Success! I made it through the iron gates and out of sight of school in record time with no interruptions. Taking down my hood, I began to walk at a more relaxed pace, letting my hair free from its pony tail to warm my neck. Taking my phone from my pocket I plugged my ears and walked in time to the beat of muse's 'Uprising', singing along happily to the words and observing my familiar surroundings; I was currently in the thick of the suburban neighbourhood, walking past adjoined house after adjoined house, fish and Chip shops with empty seating areas and grocery stores advertising their wares, a darkened ally between two run-down houses... Suddenly something tugged at my wrist and I was pulled into the ally with a shriek.

Catching my balance, I looked up to see four masculine figures grouped around me, faces unrecognisable in the shadow apart from one- one with bleached blonde hair and a malicious sneer.

'Hello darlin'" he drawled as the others snickered. 'Remember me?'

I gulped and backed away, only to be pushed forward again.

'Now, earlier on, you were being a bit feisty weren't you?'He patronised. 'Quite cruel actually... You know if you wanted to feel me up you could of just asked right?'

Anger surged through me and I spat a reply;

'It impossible to feel what's not there you prick! Now let me go!'

He laughed humorlessly and grabbed a fist full of my hair, pulling my face close to his.  
'We need to teach you a lesson, bitch.'

I barely had time to react as the other boys helped to pin me against the cool brick wall.

'I think she should lose a few layers, eh boys?' One of the cronies said to laughter of the others and ripped my shirt open, exposing my bra and bare abdomen for them to gawp at.

'Leave me alone you sick perverts!' I screamed as tears threatened to escape from my eyes. I blinked rapidly; surely they wouldn't try anything here... Would they?

'Not bad babe' blondie said with a smirk. 'Time for some fun now eh? who's first then? I think it should be me.'  
I was now incredibly confused... Until the other guys forced me to my knees, that is, and blondie unzipped his trousers.

Oh fuck no.

I clamped my mouth shut and screamed inwardly, thrashing around to no avail; my head was forced back, cracking sickeningly against the wall and someone held my nose, forcing me to open my mouth to breathe. They took advantage of the moment. I felt bile rise in my throat and rage bubble in my stomach, only vaguely aware of the fact that one of the boys' beer bottles had exploded randomly in their hands... was that... Me?

So, as many people do when scared, I did the first thing that popped into my head:  
I bit down, hard.

All in a blur, there was a screech and I was pushed to the ground, ribs connecting painfully with the concrete, pain flowing through my aching body like the blood flowing through my veins, then he was kicking me, shouting crude insults like I was the one in the wrong, and I was drifting in a land of pain and discomfort as hot, sticky liquid trickled from various wounds that covered my body and matted my hair. The smashed bottle dug into me and tore my skin with a white hot pain as accompaniment.

In the distance, I heard voices and pounding footfalls and saw four new figures appear as my head was slammed a final time against the ground and tears that I had kept in for so long poured down my face.

Finally, darkness overcame me.

The last thing I remembered was being scooped up by warm, comforting arms and the calming scent of palm needles and...dog?


	2. Chapter 2

I had been asleep longer than usual I realised as I stirred, my mind groggy and body blissfully numb.

Beginning to take notice of my surroundings, I realised that I was obviously near to some kind of heat source, but was still shivering despite the scorching heat that burnt the left side of my body. People were speaking in barely audible whispers and I strained my ears to hear them;

'I just can't believe that people do that sort of thing to each other! And here the ministry is, telling us that muggles are harmless!' A feminine voice was saying.

Wait- muggles?

I sat bolt upright abruptly and grimaced as pain shot through my side and my head began to pound, the owner of the voice was at my side immediately.

'Are you okay dear? Try not to move too much, you're still healing.'

The woman was slim built and seemed to be in her late fourties - her russet hair was lightly streaked with grey and her hazel eyes tired and lined. A pair of horn rimmed glasses were perched on her nose and she nudged them up a little as she leaned over.

'I- I'm- erm- I'm fine... But- if you don't mind me asking- who are you?' I finished lamely, teeth still chattering.

'My name is Elizabeth, dear, Elizabeth Potter. My son and his friends brought me to you after they saw what happened and I helped to patch you up a bit.'

Elizabeth radiated a comforting motherly warmth that was almost tangible, and I took an immediate liking to her.

Still drowsy, I leaned back and sighed.

'Potter...' I said dreamily, 'you're so lucky to have that surname, its so beautiful...'

Mrs Potter looked at me strangely, then cleared her throat and carried on;

'It seems that you have two broken ribs, a nasty head wound and a few deep cuts, not to mention all the bruising! You're going to take a while to heal, sweetie.'

'I bruise like a peach...' I murmured sleepily. A deep chuckle sounded behind me and I attempted to turn, but found myself immobile. Mrs potter stood and spoke to the owner of the chuckle.

'Well boys? Introduce yourselves?'

I watched as a short, round, watery-eyed boy shuffled into my field of vision and gave a nervous wave.  
'I'm Peter, n-n-nice to meet you!' Hah, he was the perfect pettigrew, how strange!

Another boy apeared, tall and slim with messy raven hair and glasses.  
'James' he said 'James Potter.' He gave a cheeky grin and ran a hand through his hair.

Okay, not strange, scary...

Another came, tussled sandy hair and blue eyes, with faint, hair line scars running down his skin.  
'I'm Remus. Good to see you're okay.' He smiled warmly but all I could do was gape back.

This couldn't be real, could it? I pinched myself discreetly and winced at the pain as the final teenager rounded to corner.

And in those moments, my heart stopped.

Effortlessly perfect black hair fell into his silver-grey eyes and his face and body looked as if they had been carved by gods from the finest ivory marble.

'Hey there, I'm Sirius. Nice to see you back in the waking world sleeping beauty.' He winked at me with a smirk tugging at those perfect lips.

My head span. The marauders are real... Magic must be real... Hogwarts is real... SIRIUS BLACK IS REAL!

For the second time that day, I passed out.

When my eyes snapped back open, everyone was stood over me looking slightly worried.

Ignoring the spots dancing in my vision, I cleared my throat.

'Mrs Potter-'

'Please, call me Elizabeth dear' Mrs potter interrupted.

'Erm, Elizabeth? Can I speak to the ma- to your son and his friends for a second?' I heard myself say. Elizabeth looked confused but nodded and left the room. I turned to the boys.

'Okay- if what I'm about to say is complete nonsense, please put it down to bumping my head, but if not- well- yeah I'm just going to say it.' I said in a rush, then closed my eyes and carried on.

'You are all wizards. You go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and your house is Gryffindor. You are known as the marauders, aka the best pranksters and friends that Hogwarts has ever seen.'

I opened my eyes again and pointed to Peter;

'You are Peter Pettigrew, known as Wormtail, and you take the animagus form of a rat.'

I pointed to James.

'You are James Potter, known as Prongs due to your animagus form of a stag. You are totally in love with Lily Evans.'

Now Remus.

'You are Remus John Lupin, known as Moony. You're a gentle bookworm and werewolf. You're not a monster, though you believe you are.'

Finally, I turned my shaking finger to Sirius.

'You are Sirius Orion Black, heir to the Noble and Most Ancient house of Black. You hate your family and their pureblood supremacy beliefs so you ran away from home to James' house. You are known as Padfoot because of your animagus form of a large black dog. Your loyalty is outstanding.'

Now it their turn to stare at me with open mouths. They gaped for what seemed like a millennium, hands hovering over wands, then, all at once, four sets of questions were shot at me.

'Who are you?'  
'Are you a squib or a witch or-'  
'How to you know all that?'  
'Are you just REALLY skilled in occulamacy?'

'Erm...' I began 'Well, my name is Emma Swindles, I have no idea what I am to be honest, its a long story and no, I don't think so. Could you by any chance take me to Dumbledore?'

Remus was the first to snap out of the confusion. He strode over to the fireplace and began giving orders.

'Right, I'll sort out the floo, peter go tell Mrs Potter that Emma is a witch and we're taking her to Dumbledore, James and Sirius help her to get up and get ready and Emma don't exert yourself too much, you're still fragile.'

Peter scurried away and Sirius leant down to me, hot breath fanning my face. Oh my lord his breath smelled of peppermint...

He and James helped me to my feet and both looked slightly sheepish as we stood there awkwardly. It was the latter who broke the silence.

'Why did those guys come after you?' He asked gently.

'the fake blonde one stole my favourite book... So I -erm- kneed him... Where it hurts.'

The two dark haired boys gulped simultaneously and I couldn't help but laugh as a giddy sense of pure ecstasy over came me; magic was real! It was as if I had finally found a reason to live, an indication of who I am, my destiny, my purpose!

'Fire's ready!' Remus called as Peter ran back into the room.

I leapt onto Sirius' back and wrapped my legs around his waist, calling 'onwards trusty steed!'

Yeah, I'm weird. Deal with it.

'Neigh!' He replied and ran around the living room before settling me on the ground by the fire with a cheeky grin.

'Fair maiden, you have arrived' he laughed, bowing deeply and kissing my hand.

I curtsyed in return and fanned my face dramatically, still laughing.

'Oh how I wish that we could marry my dear, but father would forbid it! For I am a princess and you are a mere stable boy!'

'Don't give him ideas for the shower, Emma.' james interrupted and we all looked at him oddly.

Shaking my head in amusement, I skipped over to the fireplace and stepped into the hearth, stifling a giggle as the emerald flames tickled my legs. With a handful of powder, a shout and a roar of flames, I was gone.

Albus Dumbledore's office was exactly how it was described in the books, I noted when I appeared in the fireplace.

The headmaster himself was sat at his desk, hands clasped in front of him, reading an ancient looking tome. He gave a little cry of surprise when I arrived and reached for his wand, seeming to size me up as a threat. Before he could even open his mouth I squealed 'Dumbles!' and hugged the man tightly, still drowsy (and slightly high) from the pain killer potions.

I heard a beautiful cry and Fawkes settled on my shoulder, giving my ear an affectionate nip. Dumbledore seemed quite shocked, but there was no trace of it in his calm, soothing voice.

'At the risk of being rude, may I ask your name my dear? Alas, curiosity may have killed the cat but I shall take my chances!' He chuckled.

'Sorry' I said, composing myself slightly and stepping away from the man. 'I'm Emma, Emma Swindles, and, well, it seems we have al lot to talk about!'

Just then, Remus appeared in the fireplace, followed shortly by James, Sirius and Peter, all greeting the professor politely.

'Boys, would you mind if I spoke alone with miss swindells for a while?' He asked and the marauders left, with a thumbs up and a smile.

Dumbledore folded his hands and looked at me through his half moon spectacles.

'Well Emma? Would you like to tell me your story?'

I took a deep breath and began.

I told him everything that I knew about J K Rowling and the so called 'fictional' universe that she created, about the books, about the movies and about Harry, then about what happened in the alley, only vaguely aware of the hot tears that were streaming down my cheeks like tumbling glass beads.  
'And that's all that I can remember, Professor. I guess that the guys must have rescued me after that.'  
He conjured a box of tissues and I mopped up my face. It was a while before the aged headmaster spoke again.

'Is there anything that we could do to change the future?' He asked. 'A key to destroy Tom?' His voice was quiet, calculating.

'The Horcruxes. We've got to destroy all seven Horcruxes before we can destroy Riddle himself.' I replied.

His head snapped up.

'Horcruxes? Seven horcruxes? Oh Tom...'

'But I know where they are!'

I wrote down the locations of each horcrux down on a piece of parchment and slid it over to him. He nodded and seemed to relax a little.

'As for whether or not you're a witch, try my wand.' The professor handed me the elder wand and I gasped at the power and warmth that spread through my body. Without any hesitation, I said the first incantation that came to mind.

'EXPECTO PATRONUM!'

* * *  
'You produced a fully fledged patronus on your first try?!' Remus exclaimed.

It was an hour later and the boys and I were sat around the fire, chatting lazily.

After I had shouted the incantation, a huge silver unicorn had erupted from the wand and charged around the office, the sheer force of the spell smashing the windows and several delicate trinkets. I had apologised profusely of course and used repairo to undo the damage, but Dumbledore didn't seem too fussed, just extremely shocked.

Afterwards, he explained everything as best as he could to the marauders and made arrangements for Mrs Potter to accommodate me during the holidays.

'Erm, yeah, I suppose I did.' I responded with a shy chuckle.

'What animal was it?!' Peter asked in awe and I tried not to glare at him; if Dumbles destroyed voldemort in time, he would never go bad I reminded myself.

'A unicorn' I replied and Sirius gave a heart melting smile.

'Well done' he said. I smiled in return.

'I never got the chance to say thank you guys... for saving me I mean.' I said softly.

James opened his mouth to say something but just then, Elizabeth walked in, smiling. A man with thinning and greyed black hair stood beside her, grinning from ear to ear.

'Dad!' James called happily 'you're back early!'

'Early? Its Eleven o clock James! Time you and your friends went to bed!' Mrs potter chided him. Mr Potter walked over, clapping each boy on the back in turn and held out a hand to me.

'Harold Potter.' He said warmly. 'So you must be our little stowaway witch, eh?'  
I chuckled and shook his warm, calloused hand.

'Nice to meet you, I'm Emma.'

'Right, follow me everyone, I'll show you where you're sleeping.' Elizabeth led us all up a set of stairs to the second floor of the Potter manor. I was momentarily confused until I realised that Peter and Remus had only arrived today, their holidays starting a day earlier than my school.  
We went up another flight of stairs and came to a stop in a corridor lined with inquistively designed oak doors.

'This is James' floor.' She announced. I felt my jaw drop; he had a whole floor to himself?! I knew they were rich but... Wow!  
Mrs Potter left with a wave and James took over.

'Right,' he said, 'Padfoot is the last door to the left, then me, next to me is Moony and Wormtial is first to the left. Emma, you can go opposite Padfoot. March onwards men! And erm, lady!' He added hastily seeing my raised eyebrow.

'And if you need anything Em, just come see me.' Sirius winked and I felt myself blushing.

NO! Pull yourself together girl! Cool, calm, collected, whew! I'll make HIM blush for making me blush!

'Like if I'm really, really wet?' I heard myself pur. Wait, since when did I , Emma, pur?!

All the boys eyes widened and Wormtail gave a little squeak.

'What?' I said innocently, 'I'm having a shower. Might not be able to find the towels.'

Laughing, I walked away, calling 'Night boys!' Over my shoulder and disappearing through the door.

I stopped laughing as soon as I saw the room, however.

It was like the entire Gryffindor vicinity had threw up, somewhat stylishly, on the large space: the floor was carpeted with burgundy and the walls were shimmering gold with red swirls, decorated with various aged Gryffindor banners and crests; the bed was huge with silk sheets and red and gold scatter cushions that complimented the rest of the simplistic furniture in the room including a large wardrobe and vanity. To the left a door was ajar, revealing a slither of white and gold en suite.

The room reminded me so much of a hotel that I just couldn't resist belly flopping on to the bed, much to the protest of my healing ribs and multiple bruises.

It felt like I was lying on a freaking cloud.

'It feels like I'm lying on a freaking cloud!' I voiced my thoughts. The bed was just so inviting...

I climbed in between the warm sheets and sighed.

Sooooooooooooo cooooommffffyyyyy!

Except, what am I meant to sleep in?

I grudgingly rolled out of bed and slipped out of the door.

'Pssst!' I whispered into the corridor.

A dark figure emerged and a pool of light revealed it to be Sirius.

'What should I sleep in?'

My school shirt and trousers were torn and bloody,smelling of copper and the cheap beer that I had exploded.

'Hmm, it seems we have a dilEMMA.' He joked and I could hear the smile in his voice.

'Now now, be SERIOUS!' I laughed back.

'Well you obviously can't sleep in that,' he said, joking aside, 'and Elizabeth's things wouldn't fit you... Oh hang on, one second!'

He slipped back into his room and I heard shuffling as he searched for something.

'Here you go, wear this.' He returned with a bundle of fabric in his hands, grinning triumphantly.

Passing it to me I saw that it was a jersey; more specifically, a scarlett and gold Gryffindor quidditch jersey with 'BLACK' embroiled to the back.

'Are you sure?!' I asked incredulously.

'Yeah, as long as you're comfortable its fine.'

Ermigurd.

I felt myself melt into a puddle of lovesick emma on the floor.

'Thank you!' My voice was soft, barely audible and he smiled. 'Goodnight Sirius.' I whispered.

'Goodnight Emma.'

I slept well that night; partly because of the alarming amount of potions that I had been given, and partly because of Padfoot's scent that enveloped me like a tender embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors note: This chapter is mostly fluff but don't worry, its going to get a LOT more interesting (Trust me, im a highly functioning sociopath.) Please R and R!

'Emmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...Emmmmmaaaaaaaaaa...Emmmaa? EMMA!' 'What?' I groaned sleepily. Who dares disturb me?! I was too tired to function, so I just rolled onto my stomach and settled down again, hoping that whoever was stood over me would take the hint and go away. 'Emma, if you don't get up willingly, I'll carry you downstairs!' Sirius' voice said. 'Fine.' I grumbled. Did I mention that I'm not a morning person? Sirius lifted me bridal style and began to walk downstairs; undeterred, I buried my face in his chest and closed my eyes, listening contentedly to the rhythmic beating of his heart. 'Are you actually going back to sleep?' He asked incredulously. I sighed. 'Yes, now shush!' 'You're the boss...' 'Damn right I am, you guys are my bitches!' He laughed beautifully; 'we're the marauders, we cant be your bitches! Leaders of rebellion, remember?' 'whatever Siri-poo, you stop talking now.' He chuckled but obeyed and soon enough i became groggy again. 'morning Pads, morning Emma- wait a minute- is that your quidditch jersey?' My eyes opened to reveal a confused looking James, Remus and Peter sipping from goblets at the huge mahogany breakfast table. 'Ello boys. And yes it is, Sirius was kind enough to lend it to me cuz' i had nothing to sleep in. You can put me down now by the way pup.' i reminded him and he set me down on the carpet. 'oh my!' Peter squeaked. Bloody hell, does that boy do anything but squeak when im around? I thought. But when i looked down i realised that the jersey which came just below my bum had ridden up to show my thighs and the sleeves had come off of one shoulder in a slightly suggestive, bra strap revealing way... Oops... Awkward. Embarassed, i sorted my self out and tugged down the hem to a decent length, painfully aware of the four sets of eyes on me. James and Sirius fist bumped. Ugh, boys. I cleared my throat; 'So... Erm... What are we doing today?' 'Dumbles owled my mum and told her that you needed to get your school supplies so we could go to Diagon Alley?' James replied casually. DIAGON ALLEY? DIAGON FREAKING ALLEY?! MOTHER OF MERLIN! 'EEEEEEEEEEK! ERMIGURD ERMIGURD ERMIGURD ASDFGHJKL!' I fell unceramoniously into a half sobbing, half laughing and fully hardcore fangirling heap on the carpet. '... Are you okay?' 'IM GONNA GO TO DIAGON ALLEY!' 'yes, we have established that Emma.' Remus said in amusement. He turned to the others, 'i think that we should feed her or something before she passes out, guys.' 'FOOOOOOOOOOOD!' Sirius yelled and bounded away to the kitchen. 'Now, who do you recon is the weirdest?'James asked Remus as i fangirled on the carpet and Sirius sang a song about "happy pumpkin pasties" loudly from the kitchen. 'Id say they're both as crazy as each other.' Remus replied. 'Agreed.' Peter added.

After an AMAZING breakfast of pumpkin pasties ('They're a delicacy! They can be eaten at any meal time.' Sirius had shrugged when Elizabeth protested) i went back up stairs to get ready, meeting Elizabeth on the landing. 'Now i know that you're going to be buying yourself some bits and bobs later, but i took the liberty of digging out some of my old things for you to wear today if you like?' Her hazel eyes were gentle as she passed me a folded wad of clothes. 'Thank you so much Mrs- erm- Elizabeth!' i exclaimed, stroking the smooth fabric. 'Quite alright dear, and if you need any help, you can always call Tinker our house elf.' she left me shaking in anticipation. HOUSE ELVESSSSSSSSSS! I ran to my room and called out the elves name softly, barely audible, but apparently the huge ears must help with hearing because a tiny figure appeared with a pop at my feet. Tinker was tiny, unsurprisingly, with an upturned button nose and huge blue eyes. She wore a crisp white uniform that looked much more comfortable than dobby's tea towel. 'Hello Miss Emma Miss, Tinker would like to welcome you to the Potter house hold on behalf of all the elves miss!' The voice was sweet and high like a tinkling bell... Guess that's why she's called Tinker! 'Hello Tinker, I just wanted to say hi and thank you for making the bed.' 'Tinker is most pleased to help Miss Emma she is! Does miss Emma need anything? Tinker is very good at making tea she is! And cookies!' I laughed at the adorably over enthusiastic elf before me. 'No thank you Tinker... Actually could you deliver a message to Sirius please? Tell him that Emma says that hes a flea bag, okay?' I grinned mischievously. 'Tinker will be right on it Miss Emma, Good bye!' And the elf disappeared once again. Getting up I walked over to the bed and unravelled the clothes bundle that Elizabeth had given me. Inside was a casual tiffany blue strapless dress with a brown plaited belt and some brown sandals to match as well as my underwear from the previous day, now washed and folded neatly. In other words: MY CLOTHES WERE GORGEOUS! I just HAD to go shopping with Elizabeth some time... I ran to the bathroom and freshened up then slipped on the clothes and grabbed my school backpack (which had thankfully been saved) pulling out my emergency makeup and hair essentials and applying a dusting of powder, some mascara and a little eyeliner then brushing the knots from my hair. Finally finished, I looked in the mirror only to be slightly taken aback by my appearance: the dress was a perfect fit and clung in the right places, the colour bringing out my blue-grey eyes; my usually ghostly face had a hint of colour back and my hair looked shinier. Overall, I was glowing like I never had before. Since I had always struggled with body image, it was like a sort of breakthrough as I smiled at myself. Funny what a few hours with the guys of your dreams (and a ton of healing potions) could do... I practically skipped down the stairs, enjoying the feel of the soft dress brushing my thighs. 'Ready to go?!' I asked excitedly as i came up behind the boys, sandals slapping the stone floor. They all wheeled around and looked at me and i suddenly felt very self conscious again. 'Is it okay?' I asked hesitantly, 'your mum leant it to me... Too summery? Too blue? Should I change-' 'No!' Sirius, Remus, James and Peter cut me off in unison. Sirius cleared his throat; 'its perfect, honestly Kitten.' I relaxed slightly, but raised an eyebrow at Padfoot. 'kitten...?' I asked him, trying not to laugh. 'There's something oddly feline about you.' Sirius explained and the others nodded wisely. 'Fine then... Pup!' I said. 'Pup...?' he asked. 'There's something oddly canine about you... Then again it might just be the fleas...' The others cracked up laughing as Sirius pouted at me and muttered something about secret alliances with house elves. 'whatever pup, you know you love me' I said, sticking out my tongue childishly. 'Lets get going then guys' Remus chuckled and we all walked to the fireplace to floo.

After we had all floo'd into the Leaky Cauldron (and I had had a fangirl attack and jumped on Tom the Innkeeper) we went out back to the brick wall.

When the wall rearranged its self, we stepped through the passage way and onto the busy street.

It was totally manic, crowded with witches and wizards either laden with bags or stalls; almost as soon as I attempted to take a step I was pushed back by all the bodies, falling on my bum. I started laughing hysterically as Remus gave me a hand up and soon enough all the boys joined in, so we stood at the side of the street looking like complete lunatics. Nothing new. Eventually we composed ourselves and made it into the street. 'So, where do you wanna go first?' I asked the others. 'We should probably start with your books' Remus said. 'very practical Remmy!' I grinned and skipped away in the direction of Flourish and Blotts, pulling the guys along behind me. After I had purchased my books (with Hogwarts galleons as I hadn't got a Gringotts vault yet) we went to the apothecary, followed by Madam Malkin's for some clothes as well as my robes, and finally ended up standing before Ollivander's wand shop. Taking a deep breath, I stepped over the threshold, giddy with excitement. The aged wandmaker was stooped over his desk when I entered, writing on a scrap of parchment. 'Ah, Miss Swindles. Dumbledore told me that you'd be stopping by today.' His voice was soft and raspy, comforting. 'Hi.' I replied with a smile. He disappeared up the step ladder and across the countless isles of dusty wand boxes, returning moments later with a box in hand. 'This may suit you, my dear. Eight and a half inches, dragon heartstring, surprisingly swishy...' I carefully unwrapped the wand and picked it up, testing the weight in my palm, then gave it a gentle wave and... Nothing. 'Hmm, perhaps not. Try this one.' He passed me another wand, this one slightly longer and made of a more polished wood. I swished it at a stool in the corner and it went shooting into the air,making a hole in the ceiling. 'Im sorry!' I squeaked, placing the wand back down. 'Looks like none of them want me today...' 'I'll find you a match somewhere Miss Swindles, I guarantee it!' Third time lucky perhaps... He popped back and surveyed the back shelves for a while, finally coming back with an exquisitely illustrated box. 'This one is rather special. It is, i regret to admit, not of my own creation but of a French craftsman: Pierre Auganti.I traded it in the mid fourties for one of my own... It contains rather interesting core I may add.' 'What is it?' I asked in awe. 'A single unicorn hair entwined with a phoenix feather. Quite rare if I say so my self, to have a double core wand, but I have a feeling...' He took the lid off of the box and moved aside some silk lining, revealing a dark, almost black wand with beautiful golden engravings that wove up the sides like ivy. 'Its beautiful' I breathed and heard the boys murmur approvals from behind me. 'Try it out.' Mr Olivander prompted softly. I picked it up carefully, at first not feeling anything, but then it came. A warmth unlike any other burst through me, radiating power that lifted me a few inches off of the ground. The windows smashed around me, sending shards of glass skittering through the air like diamonds and a breeze swept through the shop as I hovered in the air, almost glowing for a few seconds; I could feel my hair and dress move with the wind strangely as if they were in water. Then it was over. 'Im so sorry Mr Ollivander, I'll pay for the damage!' I rushed when I touched back down on the ground and the dizziness subsided. He didnt really seem too fussed about the windows, to be honest. 'such power...' he muttered. 'Please, take the wand free of charge, dear. You'll do great things with it, I am sure. Now if you excuse me, I rather need a lie down...' and with that he flicked his wand, repairing the windows, Flipped the door sign to 'closed' and shuffled away to what I presumed was a living area. 'I think you killed Ollivander.' James said. 'Oh shut up, Jim.'

Later that night, I lay draped over a squishy armchair by the fire, playing idly with my new wand and reading a charms book. I wished so much that I could use my wand, even just for a simple lumos,but unfortunately it was 'illegal'. Humph. Remus collapsed into the armchair next to mine, looking drained and I surveyed him worriedly; I knew from memory that the next full moon was not far away. 'You okay Remus?' I asked him, closing my book. 'Im fine, just a little tired.' he replied, turning to smile warmly at me. The flickering golden firelight in the dark room made shadows play across his face and the scars on his skin. 'where are the others?' I asked him. 'Prongs and Wormtail are helping Elizabeth with dinner and Pads is in the shower,' he replied 'apparently we aren't aloud to help, with you only just healed and me... Well, you know.' he leant back and closed his eyes for a few seconds. I leant over and squeezed his hand reassuringly. He looked down at my arm, then into my eyes, brow furrowed. 'Do you mind me asking...?' he prompted gently. 'I used to be in a sort of bad place...' I explained, the flickers of light illuminated my own criss-crossing scars. 'You helped me to stop being disgusted with them though.' 'Me?' he asked, taken aback. 'Yeah. you taught me that my scars aren't something to be ashamed of, they're a sign that ive suffered, but I survived. Even if they're self inflicted they're not ugly. They show strength and courage- in my case to stop and in your case to carry on.' It was a while before he replied, which he spent staring at his shoes, mulling over what I had said. 'I...you...Thank you...' he smiled at me, eyes slightly glassy with a few built up tears. 'Its the truth.' I replied simply, giving his warm hand another squeeze. 'Hey, I meant to ask you-if you don't mind I mean- the happy thought for your patronus must have been really powerfull...' he perked up suddenly. 'Erm... It...-' 'DINNER'S READY!' James hollered from the kitchen. I was glad of the distraction; I didn't want to tell him that my happiest memory was meeting Sirius Black.


	4. Chapter 4

**WARNING:CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE**

**LOL**

'Guys...?' I prompted the following morning; we were sat at the table eating breakfast- porridge oats and fruits prepared by Elizabeth.  
'yeah?' Remus answered, him being the only one without a mouthful of porridge which would have inevitably been sprayed on me.  
'Do we have plans today?' I asked them.  
'No I don't think so, why?'  
'Erm, I was wondering, if its not too much trouble...I could attempt a game of Quidditch?' I had to work to keep down the ecstatic, excited laugh that bubbled in my chest; I had been waiting since the night before when I had realised there was a large Quidditch pitch- almost as big as the one at hogwarts- on the mansion's grounds.  
James' and Sirius' faces lit up instantly and  
Remus shrugged, unfazed.  
'Sure, we'll grab some stuff from the broom closet after breakfast.'

I was giddy with excitement when we walked across the grounds to the quidditch pitch; my blonde hair was tied up in a high ponytail and I was wearing a pair of ripped denim shorts and Sirius's jersey because 1) It smells so good 2) I couldn't be bothered to get fully changed and 3) It was two small for him anyway.  
The marauders were in similar attire but with jeans and Remus and Peter were wearing plain T-shirts as they're not on the quidditch team.  
We came to a stop in the middle of the pitch and the boys started to unload the equipment, handling them the way an expectant mother might caress her swollen stomach; I wondered vaguely why they were treating the bludgers in such a way when they were only going to attack us and be whacked by beaters anyway.  
There was a broom on the ground next to me, the engravings telling me that it was a cleansweep.  
'Up' I whispered quietly, not wanting the boys to see my most likely failed attempts at magic. The broom didn't move. 'Up!' I tried again more clearly. It remained stationary. 'Up!' I said once again, more forcefully this time. It gave a slight shudder then lay still. God damn broom, questioning my authority!  
'I SAID UP MOTHERFUCKER!' I yelled at the broom. It was silent for a moment then the broom shot up into my palm.  
I turned around to see the others staring at me rather incredulously.  
'what,' I asked them 'bloody thing was questioning my authority!'  
They cracked up laughing and I glared at them, pouting at their lack of sympathy.  
'Hey, it worked, didn't it?! Now lets playyyyyyyyy!' I whined at them, pouting.  
'Okay, you know the rules right?' James asked and I nodded. 'What position do you want to play?'  
I considered this for a moment: I am entirely awful at most sports and I cant aim to save my life so chaser and beater were out, but my senses are pretty sharp...  
'Seeker!' I declared.  
'Okey dokey, well we can have Emma, Remus and Sirius on one team and me and Peter on the other. Peter can play beater because it rhymes and he was pretty good at whacking that piñata that we made in third year, Remus is chaser and Sirius is beater. I'll be seeker AND chaser on my team because im amazing and I'll beat you all.'  
'wow, James logic.' I muttered sarcastically.  
'It is ON prongsy!' Sirius grinned, swinging his beaters bat like a pro.  
'We'll see pads! Ladies and gentlemen, mount your brooms!'  
I swung my leg over the clean sweep and was surprised to find it rather soft and comfortable- the cushioning charm is pure genius, I must say.  
Then, the balls were released and we all surged into the air.

It was around half an hour into the game and James' team was winning by 20 points. We were putting up a good fight though; Remus was actually a very good chaser which led me to believe that he had studied the theory and Sirius could knock a bludger away with a flick of his wrist.  
Even his bloody wrists are sexy! How is that humanly possible?! I looked down at my own wrists: they just looked like a chunk of skin coloured sausage.  
How come his aren't like that? Favouritism is mean. Stupid anatomy.  
Just then, a flash of miniscule gold below me caught my eye and I strained my eyes to see the snitch hovering a little above the ground about twenty meters away from where I was been floating around aimlessly with my legs dangling for the entire game, I was extremely excited, but I knew that i needed to be a little more cunning. If I went straight for it, James would obviously realise and, being so amazing at quidditch, catch it before me... I needed to distract him.  
Remus was at the other end of the pitch so I flew up to Sirius stealthily and whispered 'Distract Prongs' in his ear before subtly drifting back into my previous position and beginning to drop down a little closer to the ground.  
I saw Sirius fly up to James, circling him like a shark and laughing- this was obviously the distraction that I had requested and it was working: James was holding the quaffle but was unable to throw it or move due to Sirius.  
Taking my chance, I dove downwards on the cleansweep and shot towards the snitch like a bullet, fixated on my target. When I was close enough to touch the silver winged ball, I reached out for it but cursed when it dodged my grasp and zipped past over my shoulder. I turned the broom around and gave chase, focusing on dipping in and out, making sharp turns and dives to keep up with the ball's erratic flying habits. Suddenly I heard a whooshing sound behind me and saw James, quaffle under his arm with Remus in hot pursuit- he must have gotten away from Padfoot.  
'I'd just give up now, Emma!' James shouted over the wind with a competitive grin.  
'I never give up Bambi!' I shouted back and stretched further, grasping at the air then... I was holding the snitch! Since we were flying close to the ground I leapt off of the broom and started doing a victory dance, all the while sing-shouting: 'I GOT THE SNITCH! IN YOUR FACE, POTTER! 150 POINTS TO EMMA, WOOOOOOOH!'  
James was staring at me, presumably in shock, with wide eyes and open mouth.  
'Suck it up, Prongsie-poo' I grinned at him and pinched his cheek then closed his open mouth and went back to my victory dance.

'You cheated.'  
'I did NOT cheat!'  
'You got Sirius to distract me, that's cheating!'  
'That isn't cheating, that's strategic planning.'  
'Its cheating!'  
'And you're a sore loser!'  
'I am not a sore loser, you're a cheater!'  
'Well you smell!'  
'You smell more!'  
'You smell infinity times ten!'  
'I like tomatoes!'  
'Too far Jimmy, you know i hate tomatoes!'  
'Tomatoes are awesome!'  
'I like venison!'  
James stared at me, mouth open, looking humorously offended.  
'Oh snap, she went there...' Peter said quietly.  
'You monster!' James shrieked and started running around the living room wildly.  
'Im just kidding Bambi, I'm vegetarian!'  
'YOURE GONNA EAT ME!'  
'Im completely against eating animals!'  
'YOURE GO- oh yeah...' James finally stopped running around and collapsed into an armchair, panting.  
'Well that was entertaining.' Sirius stated.  
'I live to please!' I smirked back.  
Suddenly there was a loud thud and we all turned on high alert to see Remus fall to his knees, grasping at his chest and breathing heavily. My eyes warily crossed the room to the open window where a large silver orb was rising:  
The full moon.

**Authors Note:  
MWHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA I AM SO EVIL!  
Enjoying that cliffhanger? When Emma said that the full moon was coming up soon last chapter,she didn't anticipate just HOW soon...  
Please don't hate me and recommend this story to your pet turtle (i think he'd enjoy it )  
Stay fabulous you sexy mofo!  
-perfectpadfoot**


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note-a-doodle-doo:  
Since i forgot to put one in, here, have a disclaimer: I do not own any content that you recognise, if i did then i would be the queen of life and literature and feels and pretty much everything, aka: Joanne Rowling.  
Please recommend, review, follow and favourite for me my pretties *evil witch laugh*  
Follow me on instagram vampireswerewolvesandhorcruxes and I'll love you for ever :)  
Now, without further ado, le chapter.**

_Previously:  
Suddenly there was a loud thud and we all turned on high alert to see Remus fall to his knees, grasping at his chest and breathing heavily. My eyes warily crossed the room to the open window where a large silver orb was rising:  
The full moon._

For a second we all stood, staring in horror from the moon to Remus and back, then everyone snapped into action:  
James and Sirius hoisted Remus from the ground and ran with him out of the door, Peter following at top speed and me running after them. Outside, James changed to his stag form and galloped away to a shadowy edge of the land with a writhing Remus howling in pain on his back, Sirius and Peter following then stopping abruptly. Sirius bounded back over to me and nudged me back inside with his muzzle.  
'No, I want to help!' I cried to the dog with tears stinging my eyes; it was horrible to see Remus in such pain and I hated not being able to do anything about it.  
Padfoot looked up at me with pleading eyes, telling me to stay and pushed me fully inside with his head. He licked my hand reassuringly then turned and ran back to Peter, joining him as he ran away after James and Remus, then, he was gone.  
I retreated further into the house and closed the door, then rushed to the window and perched myself on the ledge, staring at the spot where the darkness had swallowed the marauders.  
I wanted, more than anything to ignore Sirius and run after them, but I knew that doing so would distress Remus and that was the last thing we needed. I had absolutely no idea where Mr and Mrs Potter were, but I knew that they were out for the night, most likely at the ministry on auror duty, so I had no one to comfort or distract me. Finally, I decided that I just had to wait for the sun to come up, no matter how useless it made me feel.  
Walking into the large kitchen, I filled the kettle and slid it on to the stove top, making myself a cup of tea. It took me a while to find everything but eventually I held the steaming mug between my shaking hands and took a gulp to calm my nerves, ignoring the scorching heat that numbed my tongue, then climbed the stairs and grabbed a throw blanket from my bed and wrapped it around my quivering shoulders.  
Outside the night was cool and still, silent albeit the soft thud of my footfalls in the grass as I headed towards a large oak tree midway between the manor and the border of woods in which the marauders resided. I scaled the tree with expert precision, coming to a stop at an L shaped parting in the trunk where I settled down with my tea and blanket and watched the woods for any sign of life.  
Climbing and settling in high places is a second nature for me, I feel more safe the higher that I go.

After what I estimated as an hour or so of sitting, occasionally adjusting my position on the hard branch, it began to rain heavily, thick sheets cascading from the sky and blurring my vision. My hair was soon plastered to my face and neck with the tree offering little shelter and I was soaked to my skin, shivering as, despite the summer downpour being warm, it was relentless. I pulled the blanket tighter around myself and continued to hug my now cold mug in an effort to gain back some warmth, but to no avail.  
Trying to take my mind off of how cold I was, I pulled my mind to recent and future events.  
The marauders had saved my life. I don't know how or why they saved me, but I had no doubt that if they hadn't have come then Blondie and his pals would have continued to abuse me till I stopped fighting and... I shuddered at the thought. They had seemed to become used to my company and accepted me very quickly which I was grateful of; there was hardly a trace of awkwardness and I couldn't help but think that maybe this was all sort of meant to be. I felt as if I had known them my entire life and I wondered if they felt the same, but quickly dismissed the thought, for they had only met me a few days ago.  
My thoughts then traveled to Hogwarts... What would happen? Id have to be sorted, but what if I wasn't in Gryffindor? What if I was put in Slytherin?! Sirius would hate me, and I couldn't live with that, I wouldn't.  
Sirius; just the thought of his name sent pleasurable tingles through my body. But he was known as a womanizer, what would I do, how would I cope if he started dating at hogwarts again this year, made his way through the entire female population once again? Why was I even questioning that, of course he would! There's nothing to stop him! I was stupid to even think that he might fall for me of all people; I never was, or ever would be good enough, perfect enough, beautiful enough for someone as amazing as him.  
My tears mixed with the rain at the thought.  
The most I could do was at least be his friend, and the other marauder's too.

I was sick with worry when, finally, the sun began to rise and movement came from the edge of the woods. I leapt at the sight of the dark figures against the horizon and almost fell out of my tree but quickly steadied myself and grabbed my blankets and mug. I clambered to the edge of the thickest branch and leapt off, landing on all fours the way that I had learnt to and broke into a sprint, leaving the mug behind but carrying the blanket to wrap around Remus. I was still soaked but the blanket had dried off and would hopefully give a little comfort to the werewolf.  
When I was a short distance away I realised that something was wrong and pushed myself into a harder run, increasing my speed. Stopping short a meter or so away from them, I gave a cry of anguish and clasped my hand over my mouth; I could now see what was wrong.  
Remus was shuddering and filthy, matted with what looked like blood, sweat and dirt and was being supported by Peter as he walked tenderly, but that wasn't the most disturbing part. Next to them was James equally as dirty and holding up a limping Sirius, who's leg was bloody, his jeans shredded and a huge gaping gash across his right shoulder that spilt dark patches of blood leaking into his shirt. His face was pale and sweaty, eyes half closed and despite a reassuring smile that he wore, looked in intense pain.  
I didn't know who to help first, nor who to give the blanket to, so, praying that Elizabeth would forgive me, I tore the large throw into two halves and rushed towards the boys.  
'What the hell happened?!' I asked wrapping the first half of the blanket around Remus' shoulders and moving to Sirius.  
'Long story, kitten.' Sirius gave a weak smile but all I could do was grimace in return as I saw his wounds up close.  
'Oh shit you've lost a lot of blood...' I whispered as I bundled him in the blanket. I knew that I needed to create a tourniquet of sorts so I pulled off the quidditch jersey, tossed it to James and ripped a strip of material from the white vest that I wore beneath then tied it tightly around Padfoot's calf and did the same with his shoulder, ignoring the goosebumbs that rose on my now exposed ribs; I was freezing but that didn't matter, Sirius and Remus were my top priorities now. Since Remus' wounds were mostly painful looking bruises and small cuts, all I need was for him to get inside so that I could wash and rest him.  
I knew that I had gone totally control freak, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  
'What are you waiting for? Get inside where its warm, all of you!' I ordered and they quickly obeyed. Coming in the middle I supported both injured boys and helped to lug them eventually inside and lay them down on twin sofas.  
'Okay, Peter go boil the kettle and when its done, I need you to put it in a large bowl and add a lot of salt please. James, I need cotton wool or swabs, clean cotton or anything sanitary please, if you can, also find me some alcohol and a sewing kit, quickly.' he looked at me, doubtful. 'Trust me, I did a first aid course okay?! Now go!' I said with evident panic in my voice.  
Turning to Remus and Sirius, I saw that they were both almost unconscious and groaned.  
'No, you cant go to sleep yet, okay? I need you to stay awake for me!' I was crying now, the tears falling down my cheeks in silent anguish as I looked at the two boys in front of me nod gravely and attempt to stay conscious. James returned shortly with what looked like a bottle of vodka resting on a pile of fresh towels, a box of cotton swabs and a small sewing kit with the words 'Witch Weekly's Interesting Muggle Invention' printed upon it, shortly followed by Peter who held a steaming bowl of salt water.  
I turned to Remus; 'I'm going to clean your cuts, then I want you to go have a bath for me and come straight back down okay?' I told him and he nodded.  
As I had anticipated, it didn't take long to wash Remus' cuts and I was soon sending him up to the bathroom with Peter to help. Now came the real challenge: Sirius.  
'Okay, this is going to sting quite a lot but bear with me, I promise I'll make it better.' I told him, then began to work.  
Dipping a swab into the salt water, I started on his shoulder, removing the make-shift tourniquet and wiping the deep wound, removing all of the dirt. He winced and clenched his teeth in obvious pain but didn't complain. After the wound was thoroughly clean, I flushed it with the alcohol to kill the bacteria and he gasped at the burning sensation; I took his hand in mine and squeezed it, ignoring the sparks that flew through my body at the contact and he grasped back, eyes squeezed shut. When the gash was clean I picked up the needle and sterilised it in a cap of the alcohol, then threaded the clean cotton thread through the head and moved to Sirius who's eyes widened.  
'What are you doing with that?!' he asked me, not seeming scared in the slightest considering I was coming toward him with a sharp object.  
'Muggle methods. We're going back to basics here since we cant use magic, but don't worry, I've done a first aid course.' he didn't look very reassured.  
'Do you trust me, Sirius?' I looked into his silver-grey eyes steadily with my own blue, silently begging him to let me help. He gulped but nodded, giving me permission. Slowly but steadily, I began to stitch up the gaping wound, getting into a steady rhythm that I continued until I moved to his calf, on which I repeated the same procedure. Finally satisfied, I wrapped him in strips of the thin towels as bandages and stepped back to admire my handiwork.  
He looked a lot better, (if I do say so myself), but tired. I mopped his face gently with an extra towel and sighed; I hated seeing those I care about in pain. Remus and Peter appeared in the doorway, the latter holding a large bundle of blankets and pillows which he passed to me.  
'thank you, Peter.' I said, and I meant it. I placed a pillow under Sirius's head and tucked one of the blankets around him, pulling it up to his chin and did the same to Remus, watching as they both gave in to the lull of sleep, obviously exhausted. I threw the extra blanket and pillow on the floor and sat upon them, watching the boys sleep.  
'what happened, guys?' I turned to the conscious marauders in question. James sighed and ran a hand down his face wearily.  
'We were in the woods, everything was fine and moony was relaxed, enjoying our company, but then he caught a scent and ran away. We followed, of course and he led us to a clearing with a campsite and tents full of people... He would have gone for them if we hadn't stepped in, but he got distressed and attacked Padfoot instead... We only just managed to get him back onto our land for him to change back, he was so set on the scent of the people and I guess we just weren't strong enough to overpower him and not get hurt.' I shook my head, the tears falling once again.  
'He's going to blame himself for all this, isn't he?' I whispered  
hoarsely, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. James nodded gravely in reply.  
'You guys should have a wash and go to bed, this night hasn't been easy for any of you.' I commanded them.  
'Wait, you've been up all night waiting in the cold in that tree, aren't you going to go too?'  
I smiled and shook my head.  
'I'd rather be here incase they wake up, y'know?' James and Peter nodded, bid me goodnight and retired to bed, leaving me alone to listen to the heavy breathing of the slumbering boys. I knew that I wouldn't sleep when I was worried like this. Taking a gulp of the alcohol, I lay down on my blanket and sighed: it was going to be a long night... Or morning, rather.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Ermmmmmm... Hi *waves* Now before you start running at me with pitchforks and flaming torches, I am SO sorry for hurting Siri-poo and Remmy :( I got major feels writing the last chapter, but I needed to do it for character/plot development. *insert generic comment about recommendations and reviews here because I'm a lazy person* Anyways, I do believe that you clicked on this for a reason... Ahhhh yes the chapter! Here you go!**

I was on to my twenty-second cup of tea and seventh mouthful of the unidentified alcohol when the boys began to stir at around noon; I wondered vaguely if it was creepy that I'd basically just watched them sleep for the past six hours. Since I was feeling lazy, I called Tinker to make some porridge for the boys and myself, realising only now when it was too late that she could have helped a great deal the previous night if I had thought to call her. Oh well. 'Oh and some tea please!' I reminded her as she left with a pop. 'Don't you think that you've had enough tea for one day, kitten?' an (unbelievably sexy) groggy voice came from behind me. 'There's no such thing as enough tea, pup! And what's with the whole 'kitten' thing?' 'I've told you,' he chuckled, 'You have feline traits!' I got up and walked over to where he lay, pressing my palm to his forehead to check his temperature, which seemed fine. 'How are you feeling?' I asked gently, the worry evident in my tone. 'A little sore, but better that last night thanks to you.' he replied and attempted to adjust his position, resulting in his grunt of pain and my scolding him for moving. 'Do you know if Elizabeth has any healing potions left from me?' I asked. 'I don't think so, but she does have an apothecary cupboard in the kitchen and probably some healing books in the library if you want to try your hand at it.' 'There's a library?! I felt my eyes light up. 'Yup, forth floor, eighth door to the right.' he said. 'And how would you know, Mr I don't read?' I joked, putting my hands on my hips. 'Moony made me study.' he pouted and I laughed at his childish scowl. 'Sorry about your vest by the way...' he added with a slight smirk tugging at his lips. I looked down to see my torn vest which now resembled more of a strappy boob tube and blushed. 'It's okay,' I mumbled, wrapping my arms around my bare stomach self-consciously 'No big deal.' I picked up the bottle from the floor and took another mouthful. 'Want some?' I asked Sirius, perching on the arm of the sofa. 'Have you been drinking that all night?' he asked, seemingly in disbelief. 'Mayyyybeeeeee...' 'You do know that that stuff is really strong right? I'm surprised that you haven't passed out already!' 'Hey, I can hold my alcohol!' I protested. He laughed and grabbed the bottle from my hands, tucking it away behind the sofa. 'No more or Moony and Elizabeth will lecture you to death, trust me. Ive been there and it is NOT pretty let me tell you...' 'Fine...' I sighed dramatically 'Breakfast is on its way and- wait just a sock sewing minute, you're still in your dirty clothes from last night!' 'Sock sewing...?' 'Shush, I'm going to get James to help you change and wash a little, but I'll have to cover your wounds... Is there any cling film?' 'What's a cling film?' I facepalmed. 'Never mind, just don't get your wounds wet okay?' 'Yes maam!' he saluted. A groan from the other sofa alerted me to Remus's awakening and I crossed from one sofa arm to the other and looked down on him worriedly. His blue eyes opened and he looked around sleepily. 'What... Why am I here? What happe- Sirius!' he sat bolt upright and looked at me wildly. 'Where is Sirius? Is he okay? I think I hurt him!' 'Calm down Moony, I'm right here.' Sirius soothed, reaching over the edge of the sofa to his friend. Momentary relief graced Remus' features only to be replaced by panic as he took in Sirius's bedraggled state. 'Oh Merlin... What have I done?' the werewolf looked completely terrified and all of the blood drained from his slightly gaunt face. 'Shhh, calm down Remus it's okay, Sirius is fine.' I attempted to soothe him. 'Oh no... I bit you didn't i? I cant believe it, I promised myself that I'd never hurt my friends! I-I'm a monster...' he whispered hoarsly, his voice cracking on the last word as a single tear escaped his eye. 'Moony, im fine! Its not your fault, I'm not going to blame you for something that you can't control. You're not a monster, you're a marauder, and a fine one at that!' Sirius said seriously. {AN: see what i did there? ;))))} 'He's right, Rem.' I added softly. 'No, this is my fault and I need to take responsibility for it. I'm so sorry Sirius, you deserve a better friend than me.' 'Remus John Lupin,' I butted in loudly, 'You are NOT a monster. Wanna know who the real monsters are? People like Voldemort. People like Fenrir Greyback. People like Bellatrix and Rodolphus and all the other death eaters! The monsters are people who have not a trace of remorse for their wrong-doings, who find pleasure in them. You are sweet and kind and gentle and loyal and about to get your ass kicked by a girl if you keep blaming yourself, okay?' Remus didn't look convinced but gave me a small nod. 'Good.' I said. 'Now, I don't want to see either of you move one inch today, just relax. I've hired myself as your personal nurse!' 'Sponge bath?' Sirius asked hopefully with a grin, batting his dark lashes. 'Oh shut up, flea-bag.' Just then, Tinker appeared holding a china tea pot, followed by another elf struggling with a large pan of porridge. The second elf was shorted than Tinker and had massive brown eyes that looked too big big for his head; I had to work to keep in an 'AWWWWWW!'. 'Hello, what's your name?' I asked, taking the porridge from him and the tea from Tinker. 'Roo is called Roo!' he said with a large smile. 'Roo works in the kitchens and laundry room he does!' the elf frowned at my outfit, 'Does Miss need some new clothes fetching?' 'That would be great, Roo. And some for Sirius and Remus too please?' 'Of course miss, Roo is be right on it miss!' He disappeared with a pop. 'Roo is a very dedicated elf, he is!' Tinker whispered to us, nodding her small head insistently before disappearing as Roo had done. Grabbing a few bowls, I spooned out the porridge oats equally and carried them over to a coffee table by the sofa, passing Remus and Sirius one each. 'Nurseeee!' Padfoot whined; I turned to see him pouting at me, nodding his head at the bowl. 'You can't be serious! You actually want me to feed you?' 'Of course I'm Sirius, who else would I be?!' I rolled my eyes at the overused joke, but plopped down on the edge of the sofa and loaded a spoon for his waiting mouth. What can I say, I'm only human and those puppy dog eyes are irresistible. I fed him as I fed myself, trying not to blush at the close proximity. Suddenly feeling mischievous, I took some porridge and blobbed it on his nose, giggling hysterically at the shock on his face. 'Hey, I'm injured! That's just plain mean.' he gave me a look of mock hurt which only made me laugh harder, untill SPLAT! A huge glob of mush hit me on the side of my face. 'Oh, it is on!' I growled, wiping my eyes and throwing the excess porridge over my shoulder. 'Oi!' Remus said as it hit him. Needless to say, this resulted in a huge porridge fight. 'What the-' James and Peter asked when they finally got up around ten minutes later. Sticky oats now covered me head to toe with less on Sirius and Remus as they had decided to gang up on me and the carpet and walls were decorated with splatterings of beige. 'Erm... Enjoy your breakfast, bye!' I rushed and ran upstairs for a shower, leaving the marauders to deal with the mess. Wow, I am SO brave.

After cleaning up, I dressed in a black tank top and jeans that Roo had laid out for me and came back down stairs to a clean living room. 'How on earth did you manage to clean it all up so quickly?!' I asked the boys who were sat talking in the living room. 'Mum's spare wand. She got it charmed so that I could use it without the ministry finding out, y'know, for emergencies. I only just remembered it.' James told me. 'It would have been a lot more help last night...' 'Yeah, I know, but I've done a few simple healing charms on Moony and Padfoot that should speed up their recovery a bit.' 'Good idea, Jimmy. Didn't know that you had it in you!' I joked and he stuck out his tongue at me. I sat down on the rug as the furniture was occupied and stared longingly into the empty hearth. 'Anybody know how to make a fire?' I asked them. James pulled out the wand and muttered something, waving it lazily at the ash which suddenly crackled into life. 'Oh yeah, magic, I forgot.' I said. I took some logs from the side of the fire and stoked it up, and for a while we all just stared at the dancing flames. A sudden sound came from upstairs and James jumped up. 'Its happening again!' he looked slightly frantic. 'What?' 'The noise, it keeps coming from your room!' I strained my ears to her the sound, recognising it as "Go to hell, for heaven's sake' by Bring me the horizon; my ringtone. 'Shit...' I muttered and sprinted up, taking the stairs two at a time and bursting into my room. My phone was blasting the music from my backpack and I got to it just in time. 'Hello?' I answered breathlessly. 'Emma? Why haven't you been answering my calls? Ive been worrying!' my mother's voice said down the receiver. 'Mum...' I whispered, shocked. 'You finally called!' my voice was full of wary hope. 'Yeah yeah, the landlord is getting on our backs about your rent, apparently you didn't pay on friday. I need you to dish up for him so I can get some peace and quiet, okay?' 'What?! You haven't talked to me in six months! You left me in a house alone, don't be surprised if I'm not leaping through hoops for you!' 'We've been through this time and time again, Emma. It's not my fault that your dad needed to go away for his job and needs me with him.' She said firmly. 'He's not my fucking dad!' I shouted down the phone at my mother and heard a deep voice mumble to her on the other end. 'Emma, I pay for you to live in that house, I pay for you to have new clothes and for those stupid happy pills that you need, I sort out your schooling. Stop being an ungrateful little brat and don't swear at your mother!' My mother's detestable boyfriend, Ian, growled. 'I don't need your filthy money! I don't need the stupid house either, or the clothes, or my medication or that school! I have a new school now and new friends and I'm happy, okay?!' 'New friends? A bunch of misfits and freaks I'll bet.' I heard my mother mutter in the background. That did it. That vile, dehumanizing, preposterous word: freaks. My vision blurred and my phone slipped slightly from my hand, dangerously close to falling to the floor. 'I love you, mum.' I choked slightly on my words. 'I love you, but I'll never be good enough will I? I don't fit into your romantic fairytale life plan. I'll collect my things tomorrow, then you can keep your house and your money. Don't speak to me again please, don't get my hopes up that you finally found a reason to care.' And with that final sentiment, I disconnected my mobile and threw it away into the corner, collapsing on the bed,completely and utterly broken. I should have known that she didn't care. When it comes to me my mother is emotionless, adopting a sharp, business like demeanor as if I was some sort of regretted responsibility that she couldn't shake off; Ian, money and herself are the only things that matter in her shallow little mind. I wasn't even given a choice to go with them to Australia, I'd always been a hindrance that she couldn't shake so when the opportunity arose, they were all too keen to leave. My dad left before I was born, which was probably the trigger of her coldness towards me; Apparently I look just like him, the exact same ivory shade of skin, the exact same dirty blonde hair, the same long lashed blue-grey eyes, the exact same smile. My mother on the other hand is tan and mousey, with a tight lipped, sour look about her. I knew that it could be worse; She never abused me, she brought me food and gave me money when I needed new clothes or things and despite her lack of care for me, I would always love her, simply because she's my mum. I lay in that position, tears spilling down my cheeks for what must have been at least an hour before my eyes dried and my breathing slowed to its normal pace. I rolled over, off of my stomach and wiped my eyes, waiting for the pounding headache that comes whenever I cry to pass. It looked like I had no place to stay next summer, and I refuse to burden Elizabeth for yet another holiday. A sudden wave of fatigue overcame me and I stumbled into the adjoining bathroom and splashed my puffy red eyes with cold water in an attempt to rejuvenate my senses; the boys needed me more than I needed sleep. Remembering Sirius's directions, I climbed to the fourth floor and entered the library. It was a huge room, decadent with all the colours of autumn: mahogany bookcases and yellow-gold pillars lined the walls and the floor was carpeted with walkways of crimson; I even spotted a few russet coloured sofas within the maze of shelves. I was in heaven, but I didn't even notice as I scanned the hand categorised sections for a healing book and finally found them. Scanning through, I browsed until I found three that seemed legitimate: 'Potions for Pain', 'A healer's guide to sanitary spells' and 'Bashed, bruised and bitten: Methods for Maladies'. I grabbed the books and weaved my way back through the shelves when two particularly helpful looking bookcases caught my eye and I stopped to pick out a few more tones. The shelves were a few meters apart, the first titled 'Lycanthropy' and the second 'Animagi' . In the werewolf section, after skimming the material lined spines of books, I found one about dealing with a loved one being turned; I figured that surely it would contain some care tips for around the time of the full moon. On the other shelf I found a small pocket-sized book about Injuries during time in animal form and I was about to leave with them when yet another book captured my attention; It was covered in royal blue velvet with silver engravings of runes and letters and was very large and thick. On the cover I read the words: How to become an animagus. This was it, this was the perfect plan to ensure that nothing like this happened again! James had said that he and Sirius (since Peter was no help) weren't strong enough to hold Remus back last night... If I could help on Full moons, there should be enough of us to keep the situation under control... I put the thick book to the back of my stack and took it back to my room on the way downstairs, placing it under my pillow for later. When I arrived at the bottom of the stairway, I found the marauders sitting in almost the exact same position, all looking so deeply immersed in their own thoughts that, at first, I stood outside the door not want to interrupt them. 'Emma! Where did you go all that time?' Peter said, being the first to notice me other boys looked up, first with interest, then with worry. My eyes were still puffy betraying the fact that I had been crying. 'Are you okay, Emma?' James asked me. 'I'm fine,' I lied 'I just went to the library to get these.' I passed them a book each and told them to look for useful remedies and information, then sat on the floor next to Sirius's sofa and the warm fire. As the others started reading, Sirius leaned down and whispered in my ear, making me shiver. 'I know that you're lying, y'know; I heard you shouting at somebody earlier on. Family problems?' he asked me. 'You heard that? Sorry. Yeah I suppose you could call it that.' I sighed and leaned back against the sofa, closing my eyes. The lull of sleep was suddenly very strong here in the warm, softly lighted room. And before I even knew it, I was slipping into the simple, blissful world of unconsciousness with my book lay open in my lap and my head resting against Sirius.


End file.
